In this page we briefly describe what the BenchBot is, its beginnings', why we decided to embark in this project, its main components and uses, and we also present some of the reasons why we think this is such a revolutionary and unique tool for precision agriculture.
Introduction
BenchBot (BB) is an open-source high-throughput plant phenotyping computer vision solution which allows for data collection in an automated way, and can be used in different setups (indoor/semi-outdoor) and with various sensors. It is relatively low-cost, modular, upgradeable, portable and easy to use.
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How everything started
In the year 2018 we were running a breeding project in one of the greenhouses at BARC which required measuring the height of 960 plants growing in pots weekly. This task required 2 people doing this activity for a full day. We were also collecting overhead images of the plants using a pvc frame and a commercial small digital camera which also took a full day and two people to accomplish every week.
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